Born-again Christians

[RedDuke50]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

 

[bamaster47]

A born-again Christian is a person who either never accepted the Truth of Christianity, or strayed from Christianity, and then returned to the Church after realizing the Truth.

Thus it can be said that they are “born again” by their new, or renewed, faith in Jesus.

Hope this helps.

 

[crazzeto]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

Technically all Christians (who are baptised) are born again of Water and the Spirit as Christ said. With that out of the way, those who identify them selves as such more often then not are a particular brand of protestant loosely known as “Evangelical”. This would include the largest sect, Southern Baptist, as well as so called Non-denominationals (beware, services are typically advertiesed as being compatible with all denominations to get people in) and a host of other baptists. You can also get Evangelical Presbetarians, among others but I’m not sure of the current state of compatiibility these main liners have today with the more “normal” evangelical.

Some basic doctrines are:

1. Baptism is optional (ironically)
2. Saved by intellectual faith alone (one single confession only)
3. The bible as the soul rule of faith
4. Very strong belief in a end of times beleif system known as “rapture theology”. There are many variations here
5. Emphisies fellowship, use it in many cases as a sales point for their churches

There is much of Christ which maybe found in these churches, and some things we Catholics can learn from them. One big point would be highly improved fellowship, and a more mobilized evangalisation of the gospel which we seem to have let go for a number of years due to “eccumenical concerns”.

That said, our faiths are not fully compatible. They teach a lot of what Holy Mother Church would deem heresy, including every point above. I would encourage you to first, pick up the Catechism, listen to EWTN Catholic Radio (and TV), read your bible, take a bible study if you can and bone up on your faith. Once you have grown some, for sure study what other Christian groups believe, and why they believe it.

God bless,

 

[Modestly_Anne]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

All Christians (yes even Catholics) are born again. The Bible tells us we must be born again.

“”** Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.** Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:3-7).

You as a Catholic were considered born again when you were baptized as an infant. However somebody who calls themself a “Born Again Christian” is usually referring to the time where they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This can be at anytime in their lives but they must be old enough to express and understand their faith in Jesus. Could be as early as 5, or perhaps much later, even 95. Then these people are usually baptized with what’s called an immersion baptism.(their whole body being immersed into water, the same way that Jesus was actually baptized) Many are baptized in a pool, but some choose to do it in a lake or yes even the ocean.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[stevekehl]

Red,
You aren’t alone, a lot of people ask questions related to being a born again Christian, baptism by immersion, salvation by faith, etc… Here is a rundown to the Church of Christ doctrine of salvation.

There are five steps involved in salvation, hearing, believing (faith), confessing, repenting, baptism. This doctine is based on multiple Scriptures.
Hearing
Luke 8:15 Those seeds that fell on good ground are the people who listen to the message and keep it in good and honest hearts. They last and produce a harvest.
Romans 10:17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.
Galations 3:2 I want to know only one thing. How were you given God’s Spirit? Was it by obeying the Law of Moses or by hearing about Christ and having faith in him?

Believing/Having Faith
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36 Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Repent
Luke 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

Confess
Romans 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

Baptism by immersion (Any body of water will do as long as the baptizee can be fully immersed and the baptizer is a baptized Christian. Most Churches of Christ have a baptistry, about three feet wide, eight feet long and three to four feet deep).
Mat 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
John 3:22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing.
Colossians 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Hebrews 6:1 We must try to become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ. We shouldn’t need to keep talking about why we ought to turn from deeds that bring death and why we ought to have faith in God. 2 And we shouldn’t need to keep teaching about baptisms or about the laying on of hands or about people being raised from death and the future judgment.

We believe people must come to an understanding of Jesus message and sacrifice; and the consequence of rejecting that teaching. There is no set “age of accountability” some come to understand it at a young age, I baptized my daughter when she was nine, I was baptized at 11, my friends son was recently baptized at 6 (that is a great story I’ll tell you if you wantto hear it). Children who die unbaptized go to heaven, trusting in God’s mercy and complete knowledge of each person’s heart.

Some denominations don’t teach that baptism is necessary for salvation because they consider it a work and as I noted above we are not saved by works. I always ask “isn’t saying a prayer a work as well?”
Lastly, people who are born again haven’t done terrible things, just sins against God. And don’t apologize for asking questions

 

[LinuxUser]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

It is just a way of describing oneself from the Scriptures and applies to all Christians:

5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’

John 3:5-7 emphasis added

 

[ltwin]

All true Christians are “born-again”. However, in the American lexicon, the phrase is usually applied to evangelical Protestants (Southern Baptists, Wesleyan-Holiness, Pentecostals, non-denominational, etc.). These are distinguished from the mainline Protestants.

In brief, “born-again” Christians believe that it is not enough to be born into a church. You must have an experience with Christ. This can happen anyway, but a lot of times it happens during a worship service after the sermon when the minister gives what is called an “altar call”. He will ask those who feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit to come forward and kneel at the altar rail in prayer. Many churches have organized prayer teams that will pray with the person. The person acknowledges that he is a sinner and that he believes that Jesus died and shed his blood for his sins and he asks Jesus to forgive him and come into his heart and life and be his lord and savior.

The pastor will be told if the person gave their life to Christ and many times the whole church will clap and hug the person welcoming him into the family of God. (If its a Pentecostal church, it can get wild).

If the person was sincere and truly had an encounter with the risen savior then he is “born-again”. If the experience was a true one, then the church will begin to see him bare spiritual fruit and grow in his new Christian life. If it wasn’t a true one, it will be fairly obvious sometime afterward because often if it wasn’t a true conversion the person wont stay in church for very long.

After someone is born again or “saved” then they will usually be baptized in water according to the practice of that church. I think most people who describe themselves as “born-again” would believe in full immersion baptism. Evangelicals don’ usually don’t make a federal case out of baptism (unless they are actually Baptists). At my church, we are told it is a command of Jesus and we need to do it period. But when the communion plate is being passed around, no one is asking anyone “Have you been baptized”. It just doesn’t happen.

Also, having this experience does not negate one’s need for forgiveness. Evangelical Christians still believe it is necessary to repent of sin throughout one’s life and personally I have to ask God’s forgiveness every day.

Also, “getting saved” doesn’t have to be a onetime deal. It is common for people, especially if they have left the faith, to “re-dedicate” their lives to Christ again, by repeating much the same ritual as above. The altar is a place of repentance and sacrifice and in many churches believers are encouraged to pray at the altar when moved by the Spirit.

 

[StrawberryJam]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

The ones that get baptised in an ocean must be a very special type of Born Again Christians trade mark.

Did John the Baptist have an ocean at his disposal?

 

[ltwin]

The ones that get baptised in an ocean must be a very special type of Born Again Christians trade mark.

Did John the Baptist have an ocean at his disposal?

He had a river, I think.

I was baptized in a green lake. My mom made our swimming pool available to my uncle (who is a pastor) so he could baptize some woman in it. My mom dragged me, my brother, and my sister out there to watch against our wills. My sister sung a song for the occasion. He baptized the woman (full immersion chlorine and all) and she came up out of the water speaking in tongues.

He asked if me and my bro and sis wanted to be baptized, we politely declined.

 

[StrawberryJam]

He had a river, I think.

I was baptized in a green lake. My mom made our swimming pool available to my uncle (who is a pastor) so he could baptize some woman in it. My mom dragged me, my brother, and my sister out there to watch against our wills. My sister sung a song for the occasion. He baptized the woman (full immersion chlorine and all) and she came up out of the water speaking in tongues.

He asked if me and my bro and sis wanted to be baptized, we politely declined.

A polite decline
spoken out loud
some may faint
Some will say it was lacking restraint

It is a heart brave
that will challenge the wave

And never stop a beat

 

[babylonsfalling]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

Read the first part of Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, that’s where the born again crowd get their self description from. It applies to all saved Christians though, Catholics just don’t tend to fixate on the phrase “born again”.

It’s like the phrase “Bible believing” Christian. If you’re a Christian, then of course you believe the Bible but some folk need to self identify with their own special phrase and sometimes it catches on enough that it becomes like a little sub denomination.

The born again crowd have made their own little religion of the passage at the beginning of John, Chapter 3. They like to challenge other people with, “What does it mean to be born again?” and if you don’t answer their way, it’s supposed to mean you’re not born again and therefore, not saved.

Don’t buy into their schtick. You do need to be born again. But don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t just because you haven’t made a religion out of their favorite passage.

 

[Publisher]

Read the first part of Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, that’s where the born again crowd get their self description from. It applies to all saved Christians though, Catholics just don’t tend to fixate on the phrase “born again”.

It’s like the phrase “Bible believing” Christian. If you’re a Christian, then of course you believe the Bible but some folk need to self identify with their own special phrase and sometimes it catches on enough that it becomes like a little sub denomination.

The born again crowd have made their own little religion of the passage at the beginning of John, Chapter 3. They like to challenge other people with, “What does it mean to be born again?” and if you don’t answer their way, it’s supposed to mean you’re not born again and therefore, not saved.

Don’t buy into their schtick. You do need to be born again. But don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t just because you haven’t made a religion out of their favorite passage.]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Eutychus123]

I have always been amused by churches called “Full Gospel”. Which Gospel do they have that was left out of my bible?

 

[ESMDHokie77]

I’m a born again Christian I was born again at the age of 3 months by my water baptism!

 

[Swiss_Guy]

I’m born again - baptized about 2 months after being born.

 

[RedDuke50]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. They have all taught me something.

RedDuke50

 

[ltwin]

I have always been amused by churches called “Full Gospel”. Which Gospel do they have that was left out of my bible?

Haha funny. The “Full Gospel” is a term that has origins among the 19th century Holiness and Higher Life movements. It suggested a belief that God still healed and did the miraculous. This was in an age when a lot of Christians were saying God didn’t do the miraculous anymore.

Anyway when the Pentecostal Movement began at the 20th century, they sort of just adopted it for themselves. In short, the Full Gospel (or Fourfold or Foursquare Gospel) is that Jesus is:

Savior,

Spirit Baptizer,

Healer,

and Soon Coming King.

The term implies that a lot of Christians no longer teach that God actively heals and works in the lives of His people. People who use the term “Full Gospel” are saying look you need to read the whole Bible and believe the whole Gospel. You can’t just pick what makes since in the natural. You have to take all the Gospel, even though it is hard to believe that God still works in the same way as he works in the Bible. You need to teach the entire Bible. Thus, the term is similar to the “Bible Church” or “Bible Christian” label.

 

[jesuspsr]

Read the first part of Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, that’s where the born again crowd get their self description from. It applies to all saved Christians though, Catholics just don’t tend to fixate on the phrase “born again”.

It’s like the phrase “Bible believing” Christian. If you’re a Christian, then of course you believe the Bible but some folk need to self identify with their own special phrase and sometimes it catches on enough that it becomes like a little sub denomination.

The born again crowd have made their own little religion of the passage at the beginning of John, Chapter 3. They like to challenge other people with, “What does it mean to be born again?” and if you don’t answer their way, it’s supposed to mean you’re not born again and therefore, not saved.

Don’t buy into their schtick. You do need to be born again. But don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t just because you haven’t made a religion out of their favorite passage.

 

[Dave_Noonan]

What are born-again Christians? My parents say that they are people that are dunked in the ocean and are considered reborn. They also said that they do this when they have done terrible things and I was wondering if it were true and, if not, then what are they?

Thanks

P.S. I am sorry if I offended anybody with what I said or the way that I said it. I’m pretty young and know very little about this.:imsorry:

As others have posted “born-again” Christians rely on an emotional experience of integration as evidence of their salvation. The phrase comes from a misunderstanding of a pun in John chapter 3. The Greek expression translated in John 3:3 as “born from above” (e.g. NRSV) can also be translated “born again.” Jesus means one thing: “born from above” and Nicodemus somewhat comically MISunderstands Jesus to mean “born again” (Jn 3:4). It’s ironic that the people in the modern born-again movement have made the same translation error as Nicodemus and, what’s more, have built a whole theology around a misunderstanding.

The “dunking in the ocean” part is likely a reference to Chuck Smith (now famous of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, CA) who started a religious movement of “Jesus People” back in the 1970s. Chuck would often baptize people in the Pacific Ocean as sort of a stand against the institutional church and a way to bridge the infamous generation gap. Part of the standard narrative is that the born-again experience brings a change of life–so the worse one is PRIOR to the experience, the better the story.

time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,905202-6,00.html

This entire article is a good review of the sources of contemporary evangelicalism.

 

[ltwin]

As others have posted “born-again” Christians rely on an emotional experience of integration as evidence of their salvation.

Claiming an experience is not evidence of one being saved or regenerated. Evangelical churches are certainly aware that just because one claims the experience doesn’t mean one is saved. The person has to bear spiritual fruit and began to display a change of life as evidence that the experience was genuine.